


A Deserved Rest

by Aly_H



Series: Two Wardens and a Lady [4]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: During Broken Circle, F/M, Fade Dreams, Mahariel dreams of his Clan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 07:44:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10552658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aly_H/pseuds/Aly_H
Summary: During the Broken Circle Quest line when the Sloth Demon casts the party into the Fade, Mahariel dreams of a life with his Clan where he isn't a Warden. While the Mage Warden Surana is trying to free all his companions from their dreams.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I mentioned that I can't write anything chronologically, right? Well...I can't. 
> 
> This is part of my "Two Wardens and a Lady" universe which focuses on the Wardens Fen Mahariel and Falcon Surana, as well as "the Lady Rebel" Eveline Cousland.

_Why do you fight? You deserve more…you deserve a rest. The world will go on without you._

 

“Lethallin!” Tamlen was prodding his side, “C’mon, wake up.”

His mind felt cloudy as he groaned and pulled one of the furs back over his head, determined to sleep through his clan mate’s prodding.

“The Keeper won’t be happy if you sleep all day again,” Tamlen was telling him.

Slowly he pulled the fur back down to level a scowl at him, “Which means you’re waking me up early to go collect herbs to try to impress Merrill again, aren’t you? Don’t you remember what happened last time you did…”

He trailed off, he knew something _bad_ had happened last time Tamlen tried to impress the First, whom he was sweet on, but what was it..? There was were _shemlen_ and a cave and…

 _The cave was empty, the humans lied_ …

A voice reassured him in his mind, casting the doubts away.

The mirror and the Darkspawn were all a bad dream, he’d never left his Clan. They were safe, and Tamlen was alive. That made him a little sad – he’d dreamt of a beautiful black haired woman but he couldn’t quite remember her name now.

He was only half listening to Tamlen as he rifled through his packs to find a decently clean shirt, pausing before he pulled it on, there were scars along his ribs he didn’t recognize. Marks from arrows that had to be removed but…he couldn’t recall ever being shot – except for that time he’d been trying to show Merrill how to use a bow and she’d shot him in the foot, anyway.

How did one forget being _shot_?

_It is in the past, it is not important…._

That’s right, he’d obviously survived, it wasn’t important.

“So, what dangerous potion ingredient has Merrill mentioned needing today? Or are you still determined to try and catch a baby rabbit for her? Or was it nug? No, that wasn’t Merrill.”

 _Who liked nugs enough to squeal over them when we saw them around Honnleath? Wait…where’s Honnleath, why do I think I’ve ever even been? It’s a_ shem _town_.

_You dreamt it._

He would’ve let the reassurance of the second place wash the confusion away except a face caught his attention. A face he _knew_ but it didn’t belong here.

Falcon Surana was patiently weathering Merrill’s excited babbling. What was the Warden Mage doing _here_? His blue eyes flashed to Fen and a look of relief passed across his face before he gave Merrill a slightly bitter smile and headed his direction – that was odd, he knew that the two mages would get along. Horribly excited over some obscure aspect of casting, so why wasn’t he wearing his usual over-friendly smile that everyone but Templars and Chantry priests got?

“There you are,” he said, brushing the braided section of his hair back behind his ear. He hesitated, before muttering to himself – “Well, Morrigan will kill me if I don’t fetch you out as well.”

He turned his gaze on the other elf, a calculating gaze.

“You’ve come to join the Clan?” he asked uncertainly, as to Falcon’s intent here.

“Fen, do you remember how you left your clan?”

“I wouldn’t. The Clan is my home, and my family – I’d never abandon them, Falcon.”

“…you’re going to be more difficult than Al, aren’t you?” the mage frowned, tilting his head to the side.

“Falcon – _lethallin_ – maybe you should see the Keeper? The way you’re talking, you aren’t well.”

Something about that statement made the mage’s eyebrows jump, before he massaged his temple. “How did we meet Fen?”

“What, you came to the clan from the city, like Pol. You needed somewhere safe to hide from the Templars and the Clan could always use another mage.”

A flicker of annoyance crossed the younger elf’s face: “When did we meet, the two of us? Do you remember being introduced?”

It took a long moment, and a hand pressed to his temple as working through that fog _hurt_. “Duncan introduced us, at Ostagar. I’d….I’d been away from my clan for six months then, with the Wardens. Alistair and I were going to guide you and Daveth and Jory through the Joining. You clipped me with a fire spell in the Wilds.”

“ _Lethallin_ ,” Tamlen said insistently. “That was just a dream, the Keeper said your fever made you imagine it. Remember, the Clan is what is real.”

“Are you not feeling well, Mahariel?” Merrill chirped, “Do you want me to make you something?”

“I…” he hesitated, looking at the clan, and then back to the mage. He knew which one he _wanted_ to believe but…Falcon felt far more real than anything here. “What’s happening?”

“It’s the Fade,” he said gently. “This is a construction to make it so you _want_ to stay, or believe you have to. Not really clear on the rules there. Fade magic isn’t my strong suit.”

Merrill’s face had darkened, as had Tamlen’s and the other two hunters he could see.

“ ** _You will not take him from us_** ,” Merrill hissed – the voice clearly not her own.

Still he couldn’t go for his bow – he knew that they weren’t really his clan but he couldn’t bring himself to attack them either, not even as a blast of magical energy leapt from Merrill’s hands. Not that Falcon seemed to need the help, he dispensed the demons impersonating his clan with magic, defending both himself and the rogue as he did so.

“…it was all a dream then,” he whispered as the bodies broke into light and the world began to take a different hue, becoming less real with his realization.

“It was a good one,” Falcon admitted wryly, “I was worried I’d have to go find Morrigan to drag you out. Thing is she’s even less adept at navigating the Fade then _I_ am. Aaannnd you’re glowing – Andraste’s hairy ass, not again!”

With that Falcon and the dream-remnant faded from view, a sensation seemingly dragging him backwards.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, hope ya'll enjoyed!


End file.
